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New varsities at DIAC to face stricter screening

DUBAI — International universities planning to do business at Academic City will now be scrutinised for their academic and research standing, quality of faculty and financial status.

Dr Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village, said, "Dubai International Academic City aims at contributing to Dubai's transition towards a knowledge-based economy, in line with the objectives of Dubai Strategy Plan 2015. By finalising our criteria for screening potential higher education institutions, we look forward to attracting top-tier global universities with the capability to respond to the requirements of our local and regional markets."

Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) on Saturday unveiled a new set of guidelines and criteria for accepting all international universities and educational institutes in the higher education free zone.

The newly-formed academic committee will analyse the institute's ability to add value to DIAC's overall programme offering, while meeting the demand of students and industry sectors across the region for specialised courses.

The committee will also scrutinise the institute's financial status.

Statistics available indicate that in 2006, Academic City experts picked only five institutes out of the 36 applicants, and in 2007, too, only five institutes were chosen from 54 applicants.

Presently, over 25 reputed international universities at DIAC cater to over 10, 000 students from different backgrounds.

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